A Family Discussion
by Tidia
Summary: A family dinner with Mac and Esme takes a turn.


Title: A Family Discussion

By: Tidia

A/N; Ridley wanted a story and this it what came from it. It is a bit of fluff, slice of life and making a little fun.

* * *

The table was not like the one on the farm, but then Esme and Mac lived on the twelfth floor with a view of Central Park West. Set with cut crystal that grabbed the light and set a spell of color over the dining room table and fine bone china. The formal dinner was Esme's idea, planned when she found out that Juliet would be in New York for a veterinary conference and Dean would accompany her.

It seemed like a great idea at the time, up until the unexpected guest changed the mood of the room. Max had been a surprise, but he was a frequent visitor to his grandparents' home. He was sitting next to Esme, locked into his booster seat befittin year old. The issue was Caleb's date.

Not that Dean didn't think Caleb's date was beautiful, but it left him having to keep a hand on Juliet's belly. His girlfriend had started fidgeting as soon as Caleb introduced the size zero, five foot ten model. Relmsy was making Juliet self-conscious about being 5 months along in her pregnancy although she was barely showing.

The platters of food were being passed around the table. Esme had outdone herself making chicken, beef, and a few vegetables that Dean was trying to ignore.

"Oh, I don't eat chicken." Relmsy passed the chicken on to Caleb.

"Are you a vegetarian?" Esme asked as she made a plate for Max.

"I am an a occasional vegan, gluten free, lactose limited, pescatarian with meat eating tendencies as long as it is grass fed and free range. Oh, no pork because of Wilbur." She smiled at everyone. "No worries. I'll just eat the vegetables."

Sam had been the only one who had previously met Relmsy, but was not familiar with her eating habits. "Wilbur?"

"Charlotte's Web," Juliet added, then gave more of a description, "The book about the spider and the pig. . ."

"I don't eat peas because how they cut open pea pods. Brutal." He passed the peas to Sam.

"Peas!" Max announced waving his fork.

"Yes, Uncle Dean is being silly." Esme said pointedly to Dean. "He likes peas and beets, too."

He had bypassed the beets. He gestured for Sam to give him the peas and for the beets to be returned to him, too. He took a scoop of the peas, stared at them for a minute before putting them in his mouth, skipped chewing and swallowed. "Mmmm, yum."

"What a good dad you're going to be," Juliet teased. She knew his real eating habits.

Esme smiled at Dean, then cut up more chicken for Max. "The chicken is free range, dear and the meat is grass fed."

Max waved a piece of chicken he had speared on his toddler fork, then made his own airplane noise as he guided it to his mouth.

"He's so cute." Relmsly squeezed Caleb's arm. "He should get into modeling. It's never too young to start. From modeling he could become an actor one day."

Mac had been having a side conversation with Sam, stopped mid-sentence. "No, I don't think so. Maybe Max will be the next doctor in the family."

Relmsly did not see the error of her way and continued on, "He could travel the world when he got older. It's a lot of fun, and you meet interesting people."

"No go." Max frowned. Esme kissed his cheek and told him that he wasn't going anywhere.

Mac's eyebrows rose- a sign he was becoming upset. "He will meet interesting people when he goes to college and graduate school. I am sure Samuel and Caleb agree with me."

"I-"

"So how did you two meet?" Dean figured he should try to help his best friend although Caleb had brought this upon himself.

Caleb had subtly shaken his head, but it was too late as Relmsly answered the question. "It's funny actually. It was at a strip club."

Mac dropped his fork with a clatter while Esme went to cover Max's ears a little too late as he waved his chicken. "Chicky strip, Grandma!"

"Yes, it is a chicken strip." Esme sounded relived.

"I can guess why Caleb was in that kind of place, but a nice girl like you?" Dean avoided the words, dancing, strip or anything else that could get into Max's ears.

Caleb decided to answer so that Relmsly would not use forbidden words. "Remmy was doing research for her acting debut."

"Wow, an actress, too." Juliet shifted.

Somehow, Caleb's choice of date was going to affect Juliet and Dean. He had to do damage control. "Sammy, how's school going?" His brother was in law school to fulfill his original dream. Dean couldn't have been prouder.

Sam was able to pick up on the need to change the direction of the conversation and veer it away from Caleb's date. The discussion centered on the law school professors that Sam enjoyed to having Mac talk about his college days. Esme announced coffee in the living room while Juliet took Max to bed with the excuse that she wanted to practice for her future little one.

"I can't stay. I have a shoot tomorrow and no caffeine or sugar." She puffed her cheeks. "This was fun. By-ee!

Caleb ushered her to the door. "I'll walk you out."

With Caleb gone there was an uncomfortable silence that Mac broke. "Are you going to talk to him?"

"About what?" Dean schooled his features. He did not like being in this predicament. He had enough on his hands with a pregnant girlfriend, his shop and The Brotherhood. A moody Caleb was not something he had time for.

Mac was not about to play along. "His choice in women."

Dean looked at his brother who nodded in confirmation. "Please tell me you did not give him that speech about settling down."

"I may have." Mac was chagrinned.

Dean rubbed a hand down his face as he realized why Caleb had brought Relmsly to dinner. "Mac, he has really been clear about his feelings on having children."

"I know that," Mac replied. Caleb did not want children in order not to pass on his limited demon heritage. "I never said he should have children. But, he can date women his own age or even women with children, but that girl. . ."

Dean waved his hand. "I get it."

Caleb returned whistling a nondescript tune. He sat down on the couch, stretching his arms before placing them behind his head in a satisfactory manner. "What'd I miss?"

Mac took a sip of his coffee, carefully setting the cup back to its saucer before standing. "Excuse me for a moment while I read to Max before he goes to bed."

Dean and Sam watched Mac step away, then directed their attention to the last member of their Triad.

"What?" Caleb asked again.

Dean shook his head. "You put on quite a show."

"Did it work?"

"If you wanted to disappoint Mac and almost give Esme a heart attack then, yes, good job," Dean replied putting his thumbs up.

"Relmsly was overkill," Sam added. "I tried to stop him." Sam directed his comment to Dean.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "It's why I leave the nice girls to you and Sam."

Juliet came out of the bedroom since Mac had relieved her from duty. She had heard the last comment as she placed her hands on Dean's shoulders. "I'm a nice girl? I'm shacking up with my baby daddy. It's bad reality TV."

Caleb frowned, but Dean widened his eyes to try to convey that his friend should agree with his girlfriend. "Sorry, you're a very bad girl."

Juliet beamed a large smile. "I'm going to help Esme. I hope you're thinking a big apology. Big. "

"Hormones," Dean said quietly. "But, the apology? Yeah, you better think of something good to say or else I will tell Josh you made his mom cry."

"She did not cry." Caleb leaned forward. "I blame you for all this—you with Juliet and her having a baby."

Dean did the same, moving closer so the conversation was hushed away from Esme and Juliet. "That's right Damien. When I met Juliet and got her pregnant it was all part of the master plan to make you miserable."

"At least he didn't bring Cressida. I did stop that." Sam was smug.

"_You_ should have said something. A warning would have been nice." He reached over and hit the back of Sam's head.

Sam leaned in, too. "I thought _he_ would come to his senses."

"Dude, I get that you don't want to have your own kids. But, you can be with a good woman-"

"One closer to your own age," Sam added.

Dean agreed with his brother, "One that couldn't be your daughter, and have a relationship."

Caleb shook his head. "I want to make sure I'm available for the new generation, your kids, Josh's kids, Sam's kids. . ."

"I'm not having children," Sam reminded them, but as usual he was ignored on this topic.

"First of all, Max is the only kid there is right now and it's going to be awhile before you can do any hunting training. And my kid hasn't even been born yet," Dean explained. "At this rate Josh is looking like a good choice for godfather."

Caleb stood up. "What? Because for godfather I need an acceptable girlfriend?"

It was quiet for a moment. The murmur that was coming from the kitchen stopped, and Mac came out from the bedroom.

"No, because you are worthy of so much more. I don't know why you don't believe it. That girl," Mac waved towards the door, "does she share your interest in art?"

Caleb shrugged. "She likes the color blue."

Mac raised his eyebrows. "Son, I want better for you. I also would like for you to respect this as my home with Esme. Do we understand each other?"

Dean was shocked at the almost John Winchester moment. Where John would have admonished Caleb for something in regards to hunting, Mac instead was concerned for his son's emotional wellbeing and only became strict because he cared.

"You realize that I'm not a teenager anymore?"

"Actually, he's scaring me. You mean you are always a parent no matter how old they get?" Dean thought he'd have a kid with Juliet and then when it was eighteen that he'd gain a little more freedom again.

Mac didn't answer as he waited for Caleb's reply.

"Fine. No women around the family unless I'm serious with them." Caleb sat back down. "Deuce, I can't help you unless I'm godfather."

Sam started laughing, then caught himself. "Sorry, I was thinking about _that visit_ to the Red Caboose. How old will you be?"

Mac glanced at all of them in confusion. "Red Caboose?"

"Go away, Runt." Caleb hissed.

Dean sighed loudly. He and Juliet had already had this conversation and she thought Caleb would be a great choice as godfather. "As long as you treat this kid and the ones you think there will be just like you treated me and Sam."

"Better. Did you not see how Max worships his Uncle Caleb?" Caleb grinned.

"He only started liking you once you gave him a dollar," Sam said. "I think he calls you Dollar."

"It's only the beginning, Sammy." Dean knew that Caleb would be the best uncle he could be and his kid, Max and hopefully Sam's future kid would know that, too.


End file.
